Silver Ribbon
by Scribbler Of Truth
Summary: Maya Riddle begins her first year, only to find out that her family wasn't as wonderful as she thought...
1. And So It Begins

**Scribbler's Notes: | | | |  
  
Harry Potter & all related stuff © Joanne K Rowling, Warner Bros and some  
other peoples.  
Not me.  
I just worship them.  
A lot. Ok, so work with me here, this is the first time I've written a fanfiction.**  
  
July 11, before first year...  
  
"Maya? Maya, it's here!" Lauren squealed with delight, running upstairs to deliver a letter sealed with the official Hogwarts crest to her adopted sister, Maya. Lauren's mother, Emily, followed her up the stairs.  
  
"What's here?" Maya grumbled, covering her head with her pillow. Nothing was worth waking up at six am for – except...  
  
"WE DID IT, MAYA! WE BOTH GOT INTO HOGWARTS!"  
  
Maya shot up and scrambled out of bed, snatching the letter from Lauren and reading the address.  
  
"You're kidding me!" she gasped. She flung her arms around Lauren and they danced around the room.  
  
Emily smiled and called her husband. "Alexander, the girls got their letters, I think it's time we headed to Diagon Alley."  
  
Maya and Lauren looked at their mother.  
  
"No way! You're seriously going to take us to get our stuff today?" Lauren yelped. She and Maya looked at each other and hugged again.  
  
"Well, I will take you, but only if you're dressed and ready to go in half an hour."  
  
Lauren ran into her room and Maya dove for her dresser, pulling on a set of light gray casual robes. They were downstairs in fifteen minutes and had eaten – or rather, inhaled their breakfast within five minutes.  
  
"Time to go," Alexander called from the fireplace. He lit a fire with his wand and took a small vase from on top of the mantle, handing it to Lauren. She took a handful of the powder inside and tossed it into the flames. Stepping into the fire, she waved at Maya.  
  
"Diagon Alley!" she stated clearly. Maya watched as her sister began to spin and then disappear. She tucked her list into her pocket and stepped into the fire...  
  
She and Lauren met up with their parents outside of Eeylops Owl Emporium. It was their first stop, as Emily and Alexander had promised their daughters owls if they got into Hogwarts. It only took a few minutes for Lauren to pick hers, a handsome male screech owl she decided to call Fredrick. Maya took a little longer, but finally chose a female bald eagle whom she named Angel. They walked out into the light, Fredrick hooting contently from his cage, while Angel sat happily on Maya's shoulder.  
  
"Alright," Emily said, looking at the list of supplies "We need to pick up some robes for you two, so let's head over this way." She led them down the street, Maya and Lauren skipping after her. Alexander took Angel and Fredrick back home to settle down, stating that he was terrified of the thought of shopping with his wife and two daughters. It earned him a playful smack and a kiss from Emily and large hugs from his girls.  
  
The robes were fitted quickly, folded and wrapped. Their supplies and books took very little time, as the stores weren't very crowded. Maya was reading through Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk while she waited for Emily to finish paying for the books.  
  
"Going to Hogwarts this year?" a boy's voice asked. She looked up to find a pale blonde haired boy standing in front of her. She nodded and looked back at her book.  
  
"Me too. I'm Draco Malfoy," he offered.  
  
"Maya Riddle," she replied softly.  
  
"I do hope I get into Slytherin. How about you?" he asked. He looked almost hopeful and she shot him a glare as she replied coolly.  
  
"I want to get into Ravenclaw. I wouldn't go into Slytherin if you paid me a thousand galleons."  
  
He scowled, knocking her book out of her hands. "Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, Riddle. You might want to watch out, you shouldn't speak to people like that."  
  
He smirked at her and swept out of the bookstore. Picking up the book, she frowned at his back and tucked it back in her bag.  
  
"Wasn't that Lucius Malfoy's son?" Emily asked as they walked towards Ollivander's.  
  
"Draco? Yeah, I think so..." Maya said absently. She kicked a rock along the street, sighing softly. She would never understand why anyone would want to be in Slytherin.  
  
A bell jingled softly as they stepped into the shop and an elderly man hurried out from the back room. He smiled when he saw Emily.  
  
"Ah, Mrs. Heartsong. 8 inches, cedar, dragon's heartstring... I remember you." He looked at Lauren, "This must be your daughter... hmmm..." His gaze fell on Maya.  
  
"Very odd," he said softly, "you resemble your father a great deal Miss Riddle," the wand maker commented as he found a tape measure and set it to work measuring Lauren for her wand. He swept among the wands and picked out four boxes, offering them to Lauren. She picked up the first one.  
  
"7 inches, birch, phoenix feather," the man announced. Lauren closed her eyes and the wand immediately sent purple sparks flying off the end. He clapped and boxed the wand for her, then sent the tape measure to work on Maya. She stood very still as he flitted through the stacks of boxes. It took several tries before Maya's wand chose her, an 11 inch, willow, unicorn hair wand that shot off a flurry of silver stars. Emily went up to the register to pay. The girls sat, staring at their new wands. Maya brushed her fingertips over the smooth wood. It was beautiful.  
  
"Come, girls," Emily called. She seemed a bit uptight. And the reason soon became apparent.  
  
"Draco..." Maya whispered to Lauren, pointing at the blonde haired youth who stood beside a man who could only be his father. Emily, standing at only five foot two, glared up at the older copy.  
  
"Excuse me Mr. Malfoy," she said calmly. He smirked, an exact copy of the look Draco had given Maya earlier, but stepped out of the way, bowing in mock courtesy.  
  
"Oh, look! It's Maya... the witch who wants to be a muggle," Draco commented snidely under his breath.  
  
"Think you used enough grease Malfoy? Careful, don't want to catch your head on fire... oh wait, that'd be fun!" Maya retorted. Her mother grabbed her hand roughly and dragged her away.  
  
"Aw, Riddle's in trouble!" Draco laughed as they walked away.  
  
"Maya Elizabeth Riddle!" Emily scolded as they headed towards the Leaky Cauldron to go home, "Never in my life have I seen such disgusting behavior out of you. What did you think you were doing?"  
  
"But Mum, he's a slimy git!" she protested. This was one fact she was sure of, even though they'd only met once before.  
  
"Don't 'but mum' me," Emily said sternly, "Maya, you're grounded. You will not step one foot outside your room until the end of this month. You can come out to use the loo and to eat, but other than that, you are to stay in your room at all times. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Maya began to protest, then stopped and nodded. As soon as they arrived home, she hurried up the stairs with her robes, books, wand and owl, then slipped into her room. She crashed onto her bed and curled up with Magical Draughts and Potions, hoping to finish it by the end of the day.  
  
By the time her grounding ended, Maya had finished every single book that was required for first year as well as several other muggle novels by an author named Anne Rice. With only a month to go until she and Lauren boarded the Hogwarts Express, the days seemed to drag by. The girls packed and unpacked, fixed their rooms up at least six times and then finally, the day arrived.  
  
September 1, first year...  
  
"Come on Maya!" Lauren urged. They had to board Platform 9 ¾ in half an hour. They reached the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 and Lauren urged Maya through.  
  
"Now, Alexander, you stay here, I'll take them onto the train alright?" Emily fussed. She patted her husband's arm and took Lauren through the barrier after Maya.  
  
It was amazing. Maya stared around her. All over, there were witches and wizards, young and old. Some were students, obvious by their age or the school robes they wore. Parents saw their children off, while younger siblings whined about wanting to go too. An older brother mussed his sister's hair and laughed, shoving her onto the train as she attempted to hit him. Emily helped the girls get their things organized and then onto the train. Stuffing four sickles each into their hands, she gave them a hug.  
  
"Have fun, girls! I'll see you at Christmas, alright?" She watched tearfully as Maya and Lauren nodded, then disappeared onto the train. Maya waited until her mother had gone back through the barrier before sneaking back off the train to watch as other students said goodbye.  
  
"Ron, you've got something on your nose," she heard. Laughter from several boys followed the comment.  
  
"Has anyone seen my toad? Trevor? Trevor!" a pudgy boy ran past her, calling.  
  
"Yes, I made Head Boy this year," a youth announced proudly to a group of his friends. His uniform told Maya he was in Ravenclaw and she watched him with admiration. To be Head Girl of Ravenclaw house in her seventh year... why, that would be magnificent.  
  
"Maya! Come on!" Lauren yelled impatiently, grabbing Maya's wrist and leading her to an empty compartment. They sat curled on the comfortable seats and grinned happily at each other.  
  
"We're going to Hogwarts," Maya whispered to Lauren. Lauren nodded.  
  
"We're going to Hogwarts..."  
  
**Scribbler's Notes: Well, there you go. That was the first chapter of Silver Ribbon. I tried to keep it accurate, so I hope you all enjoy it. I couldn't help but add in the little bits about Ron and Neville. Thanks to Sheone for editing, luv ya sweetie! Hope you all enjoyed it** 


	2. Toil and Trouble

Scribbler's Notes:

Did I do a good job on the last chapter? God I hope so. Well. Yeah. Here's the next part of Silver Ribbon. There are a few direct quotes from The Philosopher's Stone, marked in stars. Copyright J.K.Rowling, of course. Enjoy.

Sept 1, first year...

Maya stared out the window, watching the changing scenery. Lauren had run off to find a friend of hers and, something found extremely funny, had missed the food. A lady had come by, pushing a trolley and Maya had stocked up on pumpkin pasties, one of her favorite treats. She'd also grabbed a couple of chocolate frogs and left one for Lauren on her sister's seat. When Lauren finally returned, she grabbed a pasty from Maya and took a bite out of it, grinning and talking around the food in her mouth.

"Arry Opper's om ba twain," she said excitedly. Maya rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Try again without the food ok?" Lauren swallowed and repeated herself.

"Harry Potter's on the train. I heard the Weasley twins yelling about it. And then Jessica Griffin... you remember her right? She was at that Quiddich game in Yorkshire. Anyways, she said that Fred and George SAW his scar, that it's really there." Lauren looked thoughtful, "do you think he really lived with Muggles all that time?" Maya rolled her eyes and ignored Lauren, returning to her inactive state of gazing out the window. Lauren continued to rave about the amazing Boy Who Lived, but Maya barely heard. Everyone raved about Harry Potter, but Maya found it all rather boring to listen to. She zoned Lauren out and continued staring out the window. When Lauren's chattering grew too annoying, she gave up.

Sighing, the girl went to change into her robes. The train arrived at Hogwarts about half an hour later and the students piled off it, chatting in the same excited tone Lauren had used earlier. A tall man was calling over the crowd:

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" This had to be the gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. Maya smiled nervously at him as he lead the first years down to a lake. They were ushered onto boats that took them over the lake to Hogwarts. Maya and Lauren sat in their boat with twin girls, Padma and Parvarti Patil. They stared in awe at the massive castle, all four girls sighing with delight. The boats stopped and they were led up a flight of stone steps. Maya watched in anticipation as the massive man in front of them knocked on the castle door. A woman, who was quickly identified as Professor McGonagall by Hagrid, opened it. The first years were handed over to her and she led them through the entrance hall. Lauren looked at Maya, who gripped her hand reassuringly. The group, most looking as nervous as Maya, was sent into a chamber by the Great Hall. When they were all crowded in, the Professor began to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room.'

'The four houses are called Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.'

'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting"

Maya brushed a stray hair off her robes and shifted nervously. She barely noticed the ghosts that floated into the room, ignoring their conversation with each other and the rest of first years. It wasn't until the ghosts left that she realized Professor Mcgonagall had returned and was speaking to them. She quickly caught up with the students filing out the door, through the hall and into the Great Hall. She amused herself by examining the back of a tall redhead boy. He reminded her of a Weasley and she decided to watch to see if she was right. In front of him was a dark haired boy. She didn't pay much attention to him. A hat, rather frayed and dirty, was placed on a stool and everyone stared at it as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world. Maya had a feeling that the hat had something to do with their being sorted. And sure enough after a pause, the hat began to sing.

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap! "

Maya grinned at Lauren who was standing behind her as they joined in clapping. The hat was now silent and Professor Mcgonagall stepped forwards to read off a roll of parchment. The first name was called.

"Abbott, Hannah!" The hat placed her in Hufflepuff. The next girl was placed in Hufflepuff as well, and then a boy was put in Ravenclaw. The next girl was also placed in Ravenclaw, then a new first year girl for Griffindor and Slytherin each. Maya didn't pay much attention after that, except when Lauren was put in Hufflepuff. When Harry Potter was put in Griffindor, she looked up. Her name would be soon. Sure enough, just a few names later:

"Riddle, Maya!" She hurried up and put on the hat as she sat on the stool. She could hear a soft voice in her ear.

"Hmm... well well, what have we here." Before Maya could ask what the hat meant, it called out "Slytherin!" Maya's eyes went wide and she dropped the hat on the stool, staring at the floor as she walked over to the Slytherin table. She glared at Draco, who was laughing quietly at her placement. She watched the rest of the Sorting. She had been right about the red haired boy. He was a Weasley. Ronald Weasley to be exact. She shrugged it off. None of them would ever talk to her again anyways. Jessica Griffin was in Hufflepuff with Lauren, the Patil twins were in Griffindor and Ravenclaw and her best friend from back home, Amy Dwyer had been put in Ravenclaw.

The feast began and the plates in front of her filled up. She eyed the food sadly, absently sipping at a glass of water and picking at a bit of Yorkshire pudding. None of the Slytherins spoke to her and she wasn't surprised. She just wanted the feast to be over. She hid her face in her hands as she waited for Dumbledore to send them on their way. She heard the faint sound of singing as the meal vanished, then Dumbledore's voice.

"Ah music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" Maya dove out of her chair and followed the Slytherin prefects to the dungeons. Gertrude Willingson told them the password (bezoar) and they filed into the common room. Maya bolted for her dormitory once she found out where it was. Angel was sitting in her cage, clicking her beak impatiently. Maya let her out and she soared out to sit on her shoulder. Maya gently stroked her head and sat on her bed, picking up a large, leather bound book. Stuffed with blank white pages, she had it already half full with drawings, writing and poetry. She leaned back and Angel jumped down to sit on the bed next to her while she picked up a quill and ink and began to write, scratching out her thoughts on the paper.

Slytherin. I'm in SLYTHERIN. That damn hat put me in the crappiest house. I wanted Ravenclaw. I so wished to be in Ravenclaw. But nooo, that's too hard for the dumb hat. I just had to go into Slytherin. Draco Malfoy seems to think it's hilarious. Why oh why did I tell him I wouldn't go in Slytherin if he paid me a thousand galleons?

And to make matters worse, Amy hates me now. She glared at me after the feast, and Jessica and Pansy spent most of the feast shooting nasty looks at me. I think they blame me. I think Lauren does too. She hasn't spoken to me, even when I tried to talk to her before we left the hall. It's going to be a very lonely year if it's just me and Angel and this journal. I have a feeling that's exactly how it's going to be. Ug. I hate school already and we haven't even begun classes. Won't that be fun.

Scribbler's Notes:

Well there's Maya being angsty about life. And yes, I had to have the little quotes. Least I credited them to the original author. Anyways. See you on the next chapter.


End file.
